One or more embodiments of the inventive subject matter described herein relate to a powered system, such as a train, an off-highway vehicle, a marine, a transport vehicle, or an agriculture vehicle, such as a method and/or computer software code for improved fuel efficiency, emission output, vehicle performance, infrastructure, and/or environment mission performance of the powered system. Additionally, the presently described inventive subject matter relates to systems or methods that are used to determine a route a vehicle is to follow on a road, track, or route network. At least one embodiment, relates to systems or methods that utilize data relative to a route networks to predict, and if necessary adapt, a predicted route to optimize fuel efficiency during a planned trip or mission of the vehicle.
Some powered systems such as, but not limited to, off-highway vehicles, marine diesel powered propulsion plants, transport vehicles such as transport buses, agricultural vehicles, and rail vehicle systems or trains, typically are powered by one or more power units, such as diesel-fueled power generating units. With respect to rail vehicle systems, a power or powered unit is usually a part of or represents at least one locomotive powered by at least one internal combustion engine (e.g., a diesel engine) and the rail vehicle system further includes a plurality of non-powered units, such as rail cars (e.g., freight cars). More than one powered unit can be provided where the powered units are considered part of a consist.
An operator is usually aboard a powered unit to insure the proper operation of the powered unit, and when there is a consist of the powered units, the operator is usually aboard a lead powered unit. A powered unit consist is a group of powered units that operate together in operating (e.g., propelling) a vehicle, such as a rail vehicle, that includes the powered unit. In addition to ensuring proper operations of the powered unit or powered unit consist, the operator also is responsible for determining operating speeds of the vehicle and forces within the vehicle that the powered units are part of. To perform this function, the operator generally has experience with operating the powered unit and various vehicles over the specified terrain. This knowledge is used to comply with prescribeable operating parameters, such as speeds, emissions, and the like, that may vary with the location of the vehicle along a route. Moreover, the operator can be responsible for assuring in-vehicle forces (e.g., coupling forces between neighboring cars and/or locomotives in a train) remain within acceptable limits.
In marine applications, an operator can be aboard a marine vehicle to insure the proper operation of the vessel, and when there is a vessel consist, the lead operator may be aboard a lead vessel. As with the example described above, a vessel consist can include a group of vessels that operate together in operating a combined mission or trip. In addition to ensuring proper operations of the vessel, or vessel consist, the lead operator can be responsible for determining operating speeds of the consist and forces within the consist of which the vessels are part. To perform this function, the operator has experience with operating the vessel and various consists over the specified waterway or mission. This knowledge is used to comply with prescribeable operating speeds and other mission or trip parameters that may vary with the vessel location along the mission. Moreover, the operator is may ensure mission forces (e.g., forces between the vessels) and location remain within acceptable limits.
In the case of multiple diesel power powered systems, which by way of example and limitation, may reside on a single vessel, power plant, vehicle, or power plant sets, an operator may be in command of the overall system to ensure the proper operation of the system, and when there is a system consist, the operator may be onboard a lead system. Defined generally, a system consist includes a group of powered systems that operate together in meeting a mission. In addition to ensuring proper operations of the single system, or system consist, the operator can be responsible for determining operating parameters of the system set and forces within the set of which the system is a part. To perform this function, the operator can have experience with operating the system and various sets over the specified space and mission. This knowledge is used to comply with prescribeable operating parameters and speeds that may vary with the system set location along the route. Moreover, the operator can be responsible for ensuring that in-set forces (e.g., forces between different components of the set) remain within acceptable limits.
However, with respect to a powered unit (e.g., a locomotive), even with knowledge to assure safe operation, the operator may be unable to operate the powered unit so that the fuel consumption is minimized or reduced for each trip. For example, other factors that must be considered may include emission output, environmental conditions (e.g., noise/vibration, a weighted combination of fuel consumption and emissions output, and the like). This can be difficult to do since, as an example, the size and loading of vehicles can vary, powered units and the associated fuel/emissions characteristics can be different, and/or weather and traffic conditions can vary over the course of a trip.
A vehicle owner may own a plurality of vehicles (e.g., trains) where the vehicles operate over a network of routes (e.g., railroad tracks). Because of the integration of multiple vehicles running concurrently within the network of such routes, scheduling issues may be considered with respect to vehicle operations, the owners could benefit from a way to improve fuel efficiency and emission output so as to save on overall fuel consumption while reducing emission output of multiple vehicles while meeting time constraints on the mission or trip.
Likewise, owners and/or operators of off-highway vehicles, transportation vehicles, agricultural vehicles, marine powered propulsion plants, and/or stationary diesel powered systems may realize financial benefits when such powered systems have increased fuel efficiency, reduced emission output, improved fleet efficiency, and/or improved mission parameter performance so as to save on overall fuel consumption while reducing emission output and meeting operating constraints, such as but not limited to mission or trip time constraints.
Transportation networks (e.g., railways) are relatively complex systems that can include an extensive network of routes (e.g., railroad tracks) having multiple vehicles concurrently operating or traveling on the routes at any given time. The transportation network can be divided into multiple regions with a dispatcher assigned to monitor the movement of vehicles in a respective region of the network. When an operator (e.g., engineer) on a vehicle (e.g., train) is ready operate and move a vehicle on a transportation network, the engineer can call the dispatcher and identify the vehicle to announce the vehicle is prepared to start. Taking into account various factors such as network routing rules, origin and/or destination of the vehicle, speed restrictions and maintenance locations, and the like, the dispatcher develops a route that is divided into multiple route segments.
Usually, the route segments are generated in about fifteen to thirty mile increments. Signals from the dispatch center are transmitted to route field equipment such as signal lights, switches, etc. The field equipment is activated to essentially define a segment of the route the vehicle is following. For example, switches may be activated to move the vehicle to another route, or signals may be generated that are representative of the route that the vehicle is traveling on and/or the speed limit for one or more sections of the route. In response to the field equipment signals and/or in response to verbal commands of the dispatcher, the engineer or operator of the vehicle can control the speed of the vehicle on the route.
The engineer or operator may be concerned with the speed that the vehicle is traveling on the route and arriving at the destination at a desired (e.g., scheduled) time. During the course of the trip, an engineer or operator may make decisions to either slow the vehicle, or increase the power output or speed of the vehicle. Some of these decisions may be dictated solely on the engineer or operator seeing that the vehicle arrives at its destination on time. Accordingly, these decisions may compromise fuel consumption of the vehicle and powered units of the vehicle.
Some railroads have incorporated at dispatch stations movement planner systems for controlling the movement of a plurality of rail vehicles on a track network. Dispatch stations may use these systems to configure segments of a train route. As described above, only segments of the entire route are communicated to the track field equipment, responsive to which the engineer manually or a train controller automatically controls the speed of the train.
Presently, there is no known system or method disposed onboard a powered unit of a vehicle or on the vehicle for predicting an entire route of the vehicle from an origin (e.g., scheduled departure location or a current location on route to a destination location) to a destination (e.g., a final location of a trip or an intermediate location on the way to the final location of the trip). Additionally, there is no known system or method that considers the existing rules of the routes to be traveled on and/or other factors in predicting a route of the vehicle to a destination. Moreover, there is no known system or method that predicts a route of a vehicle (which may involve considering the existing rules of the route) to develop a fuel efficient throttle position strategy for travel of the vehicle from origin to destination.